Dog Appeasing Pheromone

[koalathebear]

Also I read a thread about bitches killing each other and scared myself silly a few days ago

:D Alas, there is no magic pill/potion/panacea that can make two doggies get along with one another and you really can't use chemicals to fix all problems - life would be very different if we could do this.

I think if you follow the general rules that people suggest about bringing home a new puppy and introducing a new puppy to an older dog, you should be fine. Our two dogs were very wary of one another at first and like you I was extremely anxious before Hoover arrived and for a couple of weeks after Hoover arrived - but they get along just fine now.

Edited November 11, 2010 by koalathebear

[Bracken]

If only DAP would fix that problem

So true! I'd better just take a chill-pill and calm down!

[Dxenion]

We use a DAP diffuser religiously on one of our GSD boys.

Very long story short, partly due to his genetic makeup, partly due to three incidences where he was attacked by another dog (a story for another thread) and partly due to a move to a house with dogs on all sides (never had dogs around us before), one of our boys became very stressed in the backyard if left alone (he's fine inside alone or anywhere with us). We tried all of the usual training techniques to calm him and stop him reacting to any noise. Whilst it worked while we were in the yard with him, when he was in the yard without us the stress induced behaviours started up again. Of our three GSDs, he was to only one to experience this stress and display symptomatic behaviours. As we couldn't remove the source of the stress and that it only occured when he was outside alone, we decided to try a 6m x 3m pen inside the garage which would give him a safe place inside but still restrict his access to anything that could harm him.

We built the pen in the garage and started to feed him his favourite bones in there. The idea was that he loves bones, would associate the pen as a great place to be (he responded very well to crate training as a pup) and that the garage would be a dark safe place. We put the tv on for him and then set up the camera to record his reactions. I had also ordered a DAP diffuser and was waiting on delivery. The first time we left him in the garage (with the other two dogs) he ate his bones but the ears were twitching at every sound. He'd jump up, bark at the sound and stand erect until the source of the noise was gone. He'd lay back down with his bone but repeated this behaviour at every noise. His body language indicated that he was constantly wired.

A few days later the diffuser arrived and we plugged it in, not expecting much of a reaction......

The next day we set up the same situation as the previous day (same time of day, length of time gone, same bones, same companions), then went out and left the camera running. Had I not seen it with my own eyes, I would not have believed it. The difference was like night and day.

He settled down with his bone but unlike the previous day, from the first minute his whole body seemed relaxed not poised to respond. His ears would rotate towards a big noise (like chatty kids walking past) but he only paused chewing momentarily before continuing. It was like flipping a switch!

The diffuser is recommended for indoor use as the scent flows to the floor and I would personally recommend that for a double garage sized area to either leave it on for about 6 hours before you need to use it or plug it into an extension cord and put it on the ground near the pen/ crate for a better effect.

Thanks to the actions of three irresponsible dog owners, we now need to practice and constantly reinforce positive alternative behaviour training whenever he sees a new dog and am always working on confidence building exercises. He may never be fully able to relax in a backyard surrounded by neighbouring dogs but with the aid of training, positive reinforcement and the DAP diffuser, at least if I have to leave him at home for a short time, I know he wont be further stressed by the experience.

Would highly recommend the DAP diffuser in the right situation.

[koalathebear]

Would highly recommend the DAP diffuser in the right situation.

Hi there - I totally agree that DAP has its place and can be very helpful for calming anxious dogs but your example related to calming a dog that had suffered a traumatic dog attack. I'm not sure DAP should necessarily be the first port of call for a puppy in the first week you bring it home when that's a normal and expected anxiety that will, in most cases, pass without chemical intervention. For me, it's like taking sleeping pills before you've even had insomnia ... nothing wrong with using the tools that are available but perhaps not as a first recourse.